We heard from beauty’s movers and shakers about what was on the lips of the 470+
attendees at this year’s Personal Care Products Council’s 118th Annual Meeting in
Naples, Florida. Newly elected Council Chairman E. Scott Beattie, Vice Chair Gina
Drosos and panel speaker Emrah Kovacoglu gave us a top line of their key takeaways:



Economic outlook: In terms of the economy and consumer confidence,
from publishers to industry executives, there’s a cautious optimism that things
are improving in the U.S. economy—and have been for the last couple of years. There
continues to be international opportunity; there’s accelerated growth in emerging
markets. So, we’re pretty positive about this and growth globally.

—E. Scott Beattie, Chairman, President, CEO Elizabeth Arden Inc.


Trendhunters.com panel draws a crowd: I greatly appreciated the
focus [the panel discussed] on driving brands and innovation. In particular, I enjoyed
Jeremy Gutsche, the site’s founder. He drove home several important points: 1) Be
relentless about your brand and product story; 2) Drive a strategic approach to
viral marketing by being interesting and provocative; and 3) Always reach for the
best. If we portray our products as average, then that is all they will ever be.
—Gina Drosos, Group President, Global Skin and Personal Care, Procter & Gamble


Top-of-mind trends for 2012: 1) Visual storytelling: With the rise
of Pinterest and Instagram, we’ll see brands using more imagery and visuals to talk
about their brands; 2) Figuring out data: We’ve been watching consumers use digital
channels, and we’re going to start using more of that data to make market decisions
and evaluate consumer interest, intent and purchase; and 3) Mobile, mobile, mobile:
Mobile allows brands to capture the attention of consumers anytime, anywhere. Brands
will continue to push the barriers with mobile through push notifications, consumer
interactions and mobile commerce.
—Emrah Kovacoglu, CEO of Total Beauty Media Group


Distribution blur: There’s been a common message for years that
points to alternative format retailers, the digital retailers, the specialty retailers—Birchbox,
QVC, HSN, Ulta, Sephora—which all continue to grow. The migration to much more variety
is contributing to this diversification of retail sales.
—Scott


Partnerships are key to growth: What is encouraging is how partnerships
are increasing across manufacturers to trade associations, to publishers to brands,
etc. We are working collaboratively—where appropriate—to bring the best beauty innovation
and ideas to women and men, when and where they want it. This type of dialogue and
partnership reminds me that great ideas can come from anywhere—consumers, suppliers,
and brands big and small. We do great things together and PCPC reminds me every
year just how impressive the people of the Beauty industry are.
—Gina

Social media: All of the major publishing houses are expending
an enormous amount of energy to adapt their brands into a digital platform. How
we use it effectively is a huge priority for the major companies.

—Scott